The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday adopted legislation to begin reforming the troubled Department of Veterans Affairs, sending the bill to the Senate for final approval.

The $17 billion agreement, forged last weekend by House and Senate veterans' committee leaders, was expected to face some scrutiny by House Republicans. But even those who did not agree with all the bill's provisions offered their support so Congress could begin fixing an array of problems at the VA that began surfacing this spring.

The Senate must approve the measure by the end of this week if Congress sticks to its plan to begin its August recess on Friday. It would then go to the president for his signature.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who negotiated the bill with House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, R-Fla., said after the House vote that he expects the Senate "will do the same thing as soon as tomorrow."

During House floor debate Wednesday, members repeatedly called the bill a "first step" toward enacting sweeping structural and cultural changes to the VA. Congressional oversight of the reform and future changes is crucial to bringing "failures at the VA to light," said Miller, a key reform proponent.

The bill would require an independent assessment of VA medical care, and create a Congressional Commission on Care that would evaluate access to medical care at VA facilities nationwide. The comprehensive, independent assessment would "lead the way for true reform in the long run," Miller said.

House colleagues thanked Miller and Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, the House VA Committee's ranking minority member, for holding more than a dozen oversight hearings in the past two months where committee members grilled VA officials, heard from whistle-blowers and took emotional testimony from families of veterans.

Members repeatedly said the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 would institute important changes to improve veterans' access to care.

The bill would increase options for veterans to receive care from private providers rather than in the VA system if they have had lengthy VA appointment wait times or live more than 40 miles from the nearest VA medical facility.

Democrat Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, the only Arizonan on the House VA Committee and on the conference committee that hammered out a compromise between House and Senate versions of the bill, said the private-care provision especially will help rural veterans -- including those in Arizona's tribal communities -- gain access to medical care closer to home.

Among other provisions, the bill allows the VA secretary to fire or demote senior executives for poor performance or misconduct. It also reduces funding for VA employee bonuses by $40 million annually through fiscal 2024 -- a provision intended to "advance genuine accountability," Miller said.

"This landmark effort is the best chance we've had in years to make fundamental changes to the way the VA operates," said Rep. Dan Benishek, R-Mich.